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Evidence mounts over John Paul II beatification

VATICAN CITY – Evidence is mounting that the pope will soon approve the miracle needed to beatify Pope John Paul II, setting the stage for a major celebration this year for a Catholic Church trying to recover from the clerical sex abuse scandal.

Italian news media have been reporting that in recent weeks Vatican-sponsored panels confirmed that a young French nun was miraculously cured of Parkinson's disease after praying to the Polish-born John Paul.

Pope Benedict XVI now must sign off on the miracle and set a date for the beatification, the first major step to possible sainthood.

The last remaining hurdle concerned the approval by Vatican-appointed panels of doctors and theologians, cardinals and bishops that the cure of French nun, Sister Marie-Simon-Pierre, was a miracle due to the intercession of John Paul.

The nun has said she felt reborn when she woke up two months after John Paul died, cured of the disease that had made walking, writing and driving a car nearly impossible. She and her fellow sisters had prayed to John Paul, who also suffered from Parkinson's.

Does this seriously need to be a religious bashing thread? I mean really, you don't belive in religion, good for you. At least have respect for people that do, because you want respect from people to hear what you believe.

Does this seriously need to be a religious bashing thread? I mean really, you don't belive in religion, good for you. At least have respect for people that do, because you want respect from people to hear what you believe.

First, at no point was anyone "bashing" religion.

Second, there is absolutely no reason why people shouldn't challenge ridiculous claims when they are made, and the healing of this nun is clearly a ridiculous claim. If this wasn't attached to a religion, but instead was some dude from Kentucky that claimed that he healed his grandpappy's arthritis just by touching him, then you'd think the guy was out of his head crazy. Since it's the church making this claim, though, anyone who thinks it absurd should keep quiet, because religion gets some sort of free pass from scrutiny on the claims they make? That's obviously absurd.

The church is making a claim here that they could obviously never scientifically prove, which is exactly why they're making it. They can claim a miracle on some nun to make the Pope a Saint and give them some good news to report, and it'll fit in very nicely with their recent "Come back home" campaign they're running for the "lapsed" Catholics.

You don't find it the least bit odd that it's this nun that was healed, instead of, say, Michael J. Fox, someone that could show the difference in his body to millions? Or that, as I said, there's never been a severed limb that was regrown by one of these "miracles." It's a sham and a PR move, and it should be called exactly that. No one is saying you're not free to believe whatever you want, but just as you're free to believe, I'm free to question.

"There's no better public education than teaching kids that they should have been born to a parent who could afford their cancer treatments." - @LOLGOP

Second, there is absolutely no reason why people shouldn't challenge ridiculous claims when they are made, and the healing of this nun is clearly a ridiculous claim. If this wasn't attached to a religion, but instead was some dude from Kentucky that claimed that he healed his grandpappy's arthritis just by touching him, then you'd think the guy was out of his head crazy. Since it's the church making this claim, though, anyone who thinks it absurd should keep quiet, because religion gets some sort of free pass from scrutiny on the claims they make? That's obviously absurd.

The church is making a claim here that they could obviously never scientifically prove, which is exactly why they're making it. They can claim a miracle on some nun to make the Pope a Saint and give them some good news to report, and it'll fit in very nicely with their recent "Come back home" campaign they're running for the "lapsed" Catholics.

You don't find it the least bit odd that it's this nun that was healed, instead of, say, Michael J. Fox, someone that could show the difference in his body to millions? Or that, as I said, there's never been a severed limb that was regrown by one of these "miracles." It's a sham and a PR move, and it should be called exactly that. No one is saying you're not free to believe whatever you want, but just as you're free to believe, I'm free to question.

To be fair, I was definitely bashing Catholicism with my Disneyland metaphor. Meant more for laughs than offense though, but yes if I have to make it a less offensive opinion then:

I find it strange that they are (1) giving a new title to someone who's already dead. I mean if McDonald's named the late Ray Kroc as standing CEO after his death, we'd all think it a little strange. Funny b/c in North Korea, even though he's dead, the father of Kim jong Il is still technically leader and we can all laugh and mock this madness, but for some reason the Pope makes it different.

(2) I find no credibility to this nun's claim whatsoever, but for the sake of going beyond what we don't know (whether she was cured and that this is what cured it ) Strange to me that MILLIONS of prayers to the Pope go unanswered, but one coincidence means he's some kind of SUPER holy man saint. I mean if I prayed to him to roll a 6 on a die, and the first 12 times I rolled it, it wasn't a 6....but then on the 13th attempt BAM 6.....it's not a ****ing miracle.

Now in a very general sense, John Paul seemed like a fine guy all around (except when birth control in Africa is a topic) and good for them if they want to honor him, BUT to make worldwide news of a "miracle" is no more responsible than the guy who sold a Virgin Mary grilled cheese on eBay or the witch doctors in Africa who claim to heal men with AIDS by advising them to have sex with a virgin (and when the virgin teens run out, they kidnap infants).....

Does this seriously need to be a religious bashing thread? I mean really, you don't belive in religion, good for you. At least have respect for people that do, because you want respect from people to hear what you believe.

Point out things that dont make sense or are beyond believe is full well within everyone's right. If people are forced to interact in the world where, that they believe, shams are passed off as miracles then they have every right to speak what they think it is. It is really only bashing when you concede their point and they continue to make the point. Until that point it is really just an argument.

Second, there is absolutely no reason why people shouldn't challenge ridiculous claims when they are made, and the healing of this nun is clearly a ridiculous claim. If this wasn't attached to a religion, but instead was some dude from Kentucky that claimed that he healed his grandpappy's arthritis just by touching him, then you'd think the guy was out of his head crazy. Since it's the church making this claim, though, anyone who thinks it absurd should keep quiet, because religion gets some sort of free pass from scrutiny on the claims they make? That's obviously absurd.

The church is making a claim here that they could obviously never scientifically prove, which is exactly why they're making it. They can claim a miracle on some nun to make the Pope a Saint and give them some good news to report, and it'll fit in very nicely with their recent "Come back home" campaign they're running for the "lapsed" Catholics.

You don't find it the least bit odd that it's this nun that was healed, instead of, say, Michael J. Fox, someone that could show the difference in his body to millions? Or that, as I said, there's never been a severed limb that was regrown by one of these "miracles." It's a sham and a PR move, and it should be called exactly that. No one is saying you're not free to believe whatever you want, but just as you're free to believe, I'm free to question.

Agreed 100%. This is why i think organized religion is a terrible idea. Now dont get me wrong, i believe in god, or some other celestial being thats way above me and my understanding, and jesus and i like them, but i hate their fan clubs.

Second, there is absolutely no reason why people shouldn't challenge ridiculous claims when they are made, and the healing of this nun is clearly a ridiculous claim. If this wasn't attached to a religion, but instead was some dude from Kentucky that claimed that he healed his grandpappy's arthritis just by touching him, then you'd think the guy was out of his head crazy. Since it's the church making this claim, though, anyone who thinks it absurd should keep quiet, because religion gets some sort of free pass from scrutiny on the claims they make? That's obviously absurd.

The church is making a claim here that they could obviously never scientifically prove, which is exactly why they're making it. They can claim a miracle on some nun to make the Pope a Saint and give them some good news to report, and it'll fit in very nicely with their recent "Come back home" campaign they're running for the "lapsed" Catholics.

You don't find it the least bit odd that it's this nun that was healed, instead of, say, Michael J. Fox, someone that could show the difference in his body to millions? Or that, as I said, there's never been a severed limb that was regrown by one of these "miracles." It's a sham and a PR move, and it should be called exactly that. No one is saying you're not free to believe whatever you want, but just as you're free to believe, I'm free to question.

On the first bolded part. When I was an infant my core temperature was over 106 for over a month while being in the Childrens Hospital in Seattle. My extremities were ice cold while my core was burning up, they called doctors in from all over the place to work on me and nobody could figure out what was going on or where it was steming from. My Godparents went to the catholic church and they performed a ritual and were told to hang the medalian over my crib and the next day I would be healed. Low and behold that medalian went over my crib and the next day there was no trace of anything happening to me and I was perfectly fine and the doctors marked it off as a miracle. So I don't see how it is far fetched for this to happen. Now I can honestly say that if that never did happen to me than there is a good chance I would be skeptical about this story as well, but I wouldn't completely discredit it.

The second bolded part. There are alot of things you can not "scientifically" prove that people believe yet people still claim its "science". Common misconseption is that if a group claims it to be a science than all the sudden everything they put out is marked as fact when in actuality it is cherry picking evidence and not even going by what makes something fact in science. For something to be a scientific fact you can not disprove it, which is why actual scientist spend a majority of their research attempting to disprove their theory and then send it off and have others attempt to disprove it before they even contemplate claiming it is a fact.

Originally Posted by dbroncos78087

Point out things that dont make sense or are beyond believe is full well within everyone's right. If people are forced to interact in the world where, that they believe, shams are passed off as miracles then they have every right to speak what they think it is. It is really only bashing when you concede their point and they continue to make the point. Until that point it is really just an argument.

So if I stated that calling evolution and anthropology a science is like spraying Febreese on a turd, it only temporarily makes it smell better but it is still a turd. Wouldn't that be bashing those who believe in that and making it out to be that anyone who believes in it is an idiot? I just consider mocking others beliefs because you don't like it to be disrespectful.

Originally Posted by sexicano31

This is why i think organized religion is a terrible idea. Now dont get me wrong, i believe in god, or some other celestial being thats way above me and my understanding, and jesus and i like them, but i hate their fan clubs.